Formula 1's looming engine debate

Formula 1's proposed new engine regulations for 2013 have not been universally well-received by the companies that power the cars on the grid. Dieter Rencken analyses the effects this could have on the future of the sport

To catch a glimpse of the envisaged cars that will compete in Formula 1 from 2013 – 2017, simply page back to 1998.

That might sound a touch facetious perhaps, but the bottom line is that regardless of the outcome of the present wrangle over four-cylinder turbocharged 'green' engines v retaining the current 2.4-litre V8s that have their roots in V10s introduced in the closing years of the last millennium, the fact is that the 'new' generation cars are likely to be anything but.